10 years ago the internet was the most threatening issue on the recruitment companies’ horizon. The fear was that the internet would change the industry for good and recruitment agencies would die. What happened was that there was a marginal change to the industry. Recruiters used the internet as a platform for their trading. Candidates were easier to register and the searching processing (for those recruiters using such techniques) became more effective and efficient. Online recruitment started up but things have been changing in this current recession.
Recruitment has always been a good bellwether for how an economy is faring. As we travel through this current recession things really have changed. Not only has the recruitment industry been adversely affected. There has been a significant shift towards recruitment online; not just advertising vacancies but in the use of social media processes. Many professionals who were previously employed as recruiters have been able to ply their trade working solo or in small groups. Employers are not utilising agencies now they are watching their costs and they know that there are alternative routes to workers.
What is this shift in the structure of recruitment having and what is the future for those in work who may want, or need, to shift their employment? There are a number of issues including how to find the vacancies, how to play in this new era and how responsibility is shifting towards the individual worker.
Vacancies will continue to be found in the printed media but online job advertising will continue to grow relative to this old medium. Middle broking roles are likely to change and probably diminish as employers build their in house capability to find resources online. Already the majority of jobs never appear in an advertisement and this situation may well be sustained – possibly even grow.
Individual workers, particularly those in transit, will need to manage their personal brand well. It is emerging as a more serious issue that we don’t put ourselves into a position where anyone can ill judge us. So much data about us is available and it can get into the hands of those who might want to judge us.
The most significant change is the shift towards individual responsibility. If the recruitment is undergoing such a shift, what will individuals need to do in the future to secure the jobs or career that they wish? Waiting for agencies to approach you may become a thing of the past. Expecting organisations to know of you is a presumption. Each person needs to understand the importance of being proactive about managing the passage of their working life.